Finding a Legacy
by PenroseFulcrum
Summary: Not all the Hippus leaders agreed with the decision to unite their people under a single banner. Some were just a bit more proactive about ensuring there would be independent groups of mercenaries for hire, and in a land as strange as Erebus, that can lead to some interesting results. Mostly canon, may diverge slightly into AU territory later.


**Fall from Heaven 2: Finding a Legacy**

 _ **(Or: How to Make a Name for Yourself)**_

 **Prologue: Usurpation**

 **Disclaimer:** I did not create nor do I own Fall from Heaven, Fall from Heaven II or Civilizations IV; they belong to Firaxis, Derek "Kael" Paxton and his design team. Because it is better to be safe than sorry.

At first, not everyone had realized that the fundamental nature of the world had changed once again. Then again, with the world having been locked in eternal winter for so long, it should come as no surprise that nature itself would struggle in recovering… Particularly since winter is a part of the natural cycle of time and the Compact forbid any intervention which would have hastened the Age of Ice's end. For many decades, the glaciers and snowfields that had covered most of the world proved resilient to the newly exposed sun's efforts to melt them, the coming of fall and winter proving enough to nearly or completely undo the efforts of spring and summer. After all, even the death of the Lord of Winter was not enough to overcome the simple fact that ice and snow in sufficient quantities are difficult to melt and tend to reflect the warmth of the sun meant to do so. Fortunately, the sun is a constant and nature is persistent, thus the long, metaphorical war of attrition between the return of the seasons and eternal winter shifted to favor a return to the natural cycle of time.

The first sign, unnoticed by many, was that the sun once again shone on the world of Erebus, even if it was only on the occasion when it was able to break through the dispersing clouds that had once shrouded the world in blizzards. Perhaps more would have noticed, but after so long a time of the world being covered in ice, most had retreated underground or to the deepest reaches of the forests where land clear of snow could still be found, places where rock or the thick canopy of conifers obscured the sky. The second sign, more noticeable than the first but still perceived for the most part only by the animals of the fields, was the sprouting of seeds that had long lain dormant and preserved under the snow. At first, it was only in the warmest regions of Erebus that this restored natural growth could be found, but as the warmer climate spread, so too did plant and animal life. It was this, the spread of warm weather and the sounds of animal life, which the inhabitants of Erebus noticed in particular. For the first time in uncountable years, the peoples of Erebus left their shelters and campfires behind to journey out into the wider world.

In time, these simple explorations borne of curiosity became efforts to resettle and tame the lands of Erebus, simple shelters or hunting camps became permanent settlements. Plains and nascent forests became farmland and domesticated animals became more commonplace as it no longer came down to choosing between feeding oneself, one's livestock or a valuable pet/ hunting companion. In these early days of the rebirth of civilization, the reawakening world seemed almost a paradise for many of these scattered survivors, if a lonely one since the Age of Ice had isolated them from each other so long that no one knew if anyone else had survived.

Unfortunately, they soon discovered that Erebus was no less dangerous than it had been during the Age of Ice; the dangers were simply different, more active and less all-encompassing than the environmental hazards of an eternal winter. Wild beasts roamed the lands, ranging from the mundane but still dangerous wolves, bears and lions to mythical creatures such as griffons or manticores to supernatural and magical monsters such as werewolves, kraken and dragons. Many who had managed to survive the trials of the Age of Ice found themselves falling victim to these new ordeals, but those that survived were proven all the stronger for it. From them, civilization sprang forth once again: born from a need to protect themselves they built walls to defend their villages, mined and forged metals into weapons superior to the stone and wood tools of the previous age and learned to produce food through improved farming methods so that they would be able to support larger numbers of guards to protect themselves from the dangers of the Age of Rebirth. In time, these fledgling civilizations grew into powerful nations, some quickly reestablishing bonds of unity with other members of pre-Age of Ice civilizations as they discovered them, others maintaining the independence that they had discovered during the long winter while others built new societies without a legacy tracing back to the Age of Magic. With the passage of decades and centuries however, those civilizations that presented a unified front proved to be the stronger and the nations that preferred a more nomadic existence were forced to make a choice…

 **-Year 412 of the Age of Rebirth (AoR), South-eastern Hippi Plains-**

"So, that's to be how it is, you cowards?" a gruff voice stated calmly in the silence that followed the declaration by the men in front of his makeshift throne. Indeed, despite the way it was phrased there was no mistaking it as a question, and the men flinched at the implied accusation and finality of their warlord's comment.

"Lord Damansk, you can't go against this, not with Tasunke on Rhoanna's side, we'll be killed by the greater host of the Hippus." The bravest – and coincidentally farthest from Damansk – member of the group countered in an attempt to reason with their leader.

"Bah!" Damansk shot back, the white-haired old warlord grabbing a bran muffin from the tray a bespectacled man wearing a white robe and tan overcoat at his side held. "I'm not about to bow down to some filly just because she's convinced the son of Aroul that we're better off united. Tell me, when I convinced the Tario and Kendin-Hippi to work with me to raid the lands of the Aroul, did I need them to follow my leadership exclusively? What about when I participated in the legendary raids against the Kuriotates with the Seven Bands? We don't need her unity, where we all eventually lose what makes us Hippus!"

"But warlord… We will lose nothing and gain much, Rhoanna and Tasunke will make sure that no Hippus lose their traditions… that all of the Hippus will be respected and have equal say in the way our people live. That was part of the agreement."

"Mark my words: I've seen enough of how this world works to know those promises are not what you think they are. Even if they were, if all Hippus are to have a say in the way our people live that means that you'll be as like to discard traditions as keep them… But I know that won't be the case, the truth is that Tasunke and Rhoanna will be our leaders and they will decide how we are to live and what our people's goals are. Perhaps they'll form some sort of advisory council from the current clan chiefs… But I rather doubt it and I won't sacrifice my pride on the off chance they will." Damansk groused loudly, sounding rather similar to a petulant child, though that did nothing to put the men before him at ease.

"Sir, if that is how you feel, why don't you discuss it with them? After all, Rhoanna did come here out of respect for the fact that you are one of Tasunke's more persistent rivals. But you haven't even so much as spoken to them since they arrived; only sending stand-ins to deliver constant, stubborn refusals. Surely compromise with them is better than being considered outcasts or mavericks? Such people rarely prosper."

"That is what defines the Hippus! We are the mavericks of Erebus, the raiders and nomads, the free-men of the Hippi Plains! If wanting to keep that makes me a maverick or rogue than you've done nothing but convince me what a poor decision joining with them is." Damansk roared suddenly as he shot to his feet and grabbed the serving tray near him in one smooth motion while the men cowered before their angered leader as his voice dropped to a menacing hiss.

"W-we meant nothing by-"

"Indeed?" Damansk growled lowly as he stalked forward, all trace of his momentarily childish demeanor vanished as the men noticed that the rim of the serving tray was actually sharpened to as fine an edge as any sword. "And what exactly were you intending to do here? Was it merely to 'convince me to be reasonable?' If you truly knew me, you'd have known that I have no desire to serve under Tasunke, so perhaps you actually came to determine how much of a threat I'd be? Or did you already know how much of a threat I would be and instead came to remove an obstacle to Rhoanna and Tasunke's plans?"

"N-neither, we just…" the lead speaker of the group trailed off as he realized how their coming here to convince Damansk to join Rhoanna's unified Hippus could and had been taken by the warlord.

"Cowards, all of you!" Damansk shouted. "Abandoned by the very people I led and protected! The very people I trusted with my life using that against me! Well, if the allure of profit and this vaunted 'unity' shines greater for you than our freedom, then I wash my hands of you all! Tell me Xerxes, there's still world left to roam, isn't there?"

"Mostly to the north sir, but yes, I do believe there is some wilderness left in the world." The robed man answered as he finished sweeping up the remains of the bran muffins spilled when the warlord had grabbed the sharpened serving tray. "Am I to make preparations for a journey then?"

"Yes, gather up those still loyal to me and any supplies we'll need. We make for my family's old stronghold and leave this stew of offal behind." The elder warlord announced before turning the full intensity of his glare upon the cowering former members of his tribe. "And as for you… tell Rhoanna and Tasunke that they're welcome to your worthless carcasses; just leave me out of it. They hold to that and I couldn't care less what they do, I won't interfere or support them or their delusion. But make sure that they know that if they come for me, I'll make sure they pay for it to my dying breath!"

"So, this is everyone?" Damansk asked solemnly, looking around at the group surrounding him: his five most trusted lieutenants, maybe a dozen house staff and a few more than two dozen warriors from his former war-band with their families. It was more than he had expected but less than he had hoped for… life as usual in other words. Still, provided that nothing like a dragon had laired up in his family's ancient fortress, it would be enough to clear out the vermin and restore the castle to functionality. Granted, the ancient citadel was meant to house some two or three hundred warriors so it would still be rather empty, but this was enough people to at least make a living there.

"Yes, sir." Xerxes answered, the seneschal bowing slightly as his more formal training in the civilized areas of Erebus had taught him was appropriate. As he always did, Damansk nodded in acknowledgement and looked over the group once more… it was time to see if any of them would really stay.

"I won't pretend I'm happy about this and I won't pretend this is solely the fault of Rhoanna and Tasunke. Despite all my bluster and statements otherwise, I'm not young enough to deal with what the colt and filly are going to do to the Hippus. Maybe they're right, maybe they're wrong, but they are going to change the Hippus… Perhaps those changes will lead the Hippus into a golden age or set us on the road to ruin, but I'm too set in my ways – to prideful in my own accomplishments – and I'll destroy whatever they're trying to build here for certain. So, I'm effectively going into exile and if you chose to follow me, you will as well. Make no mistake, we will likely never be welcomed back after this; tolerated maybe, but never welcome. We'll be relics, like the Remnants of Patria; we'll be leftovers from a forcibly forgotten time or survivors from a culture that's dead and gone. So if you want to stay, to remain with those you've known for years and have become your family, I understand." The elderly warlord began, looking each person in the eyes, gauging their reactions and feelings on the matter. Surprisingly, while he did see some regret or sadness, he saw no hesitation, only determination to follow through with their current course.

"Warlord Damansk…" a calm voice intoned, the Hippus warlord turning to face the speaker. Somewhat to his surprise, the speaker was Eithos, an Elohim monk who had joined his band as part of an effort by Einion Logos to understand how the Hippus lived and why they were the way they were. Though Damansk had initially been resistant to letting him live, much less join his band, Eithos had proven he could fight on par with or best nearly any unmounted Hippus warrior under his banner and so the Elohim had been allowed into Damansk's forces. Possessed of a focused mind and wisdom seemingly beyond his years, doubtless a gift stemming from the spiritual nature of the tenets of Sirona the Elohim followed, Eithos had become one of the few Damansk could truly trust, even if the monk still sent notes on Hippus culture back to Cahir Abbey on a regular basis. Ironically, those notes might be all that was left of the original Hippus culture in a few years. It was odd to think that the Elohim monk whose loyalty was ultimately to Einion Logos would be one of the relatively few to remain loyal to Damansk.

"Warlord?" the monk prompted and Damansk realized he had been lost in thought for a minute or so, especially if the concerned glances those still loyal to him were sharing amongst themselves were any indication. Well, he could play this off well enough.

"Sorry, Eithos, getting nostalgic and remembering what all of you have done while a part of my war-band. Wretched times changing, makes it easy for an old geezer like me to get lost in the past. Enough about that though, you were saying?"

"Damansk, you earned the loyalty and respect of everyone here and while you did the same with the rest of your war-band, only now can you see how much that loyalty and respect is worth to us. Those who left to join with Rhoanna and Tasunke show that words and uncertain promises or money are enough to buy their loyalty and respect, rather than deeds and history. Mourn not the loss of them and do not attempt to demean our loyalty and respect for you by implying that we are willing to leave you over something as trivial as exile from Hippus lands." Eithos continued calmly, gesturing to encompass the assembled loyalists as he spoke.

"And if you can't believe that, then consider the fact that this is the more pragmatic choice… What Rhoanna and Tasunke are doing is likely to draw attention from the surrounding nations." Xerxes added, not looking up from his ledger as he spoke. "The surrounding kingdoms may be willing to overlook constant but fairly small Hippus raids, but the potential for an attack from a large, organized and united Hippus army? They will quickly notice the difference between this and past instances where many tribes temporarily set aside their differences for the chance at greater plunder. This new unity… it will leave them nervous."

"Hah! True enough…" the old warlord admitted before pausing a moment in thought. "Then I'll stop trying to drive you all away with consequences. Except maybe you Keyes…"

"That's unlikely to work, I'm nearly as old as you and a doctor to boot, we have to be more stubborn than our patients and someone has to make sure you lay off the wine every so often." A robed and hooded figure across the way called back.

"Stubborn woman."

"That's my prerogative, thank you very much." Keyes shot back with a light laugh before holding up a muffin. "Now, have you had your bran muffin for the day?"

"This is a solemn occasion!" Damansk fired back as the medic tossed the muffin to him, his comment earning a few quiet chuckles from the assembled exiles. "Bah, she never listens to me anyways… But if we're all set on this, then I don't see a reason to hang around this forsaken land any longer, let's get out of here. Captain, whip these men into a marching formation, Elric, I want those freaky floating eyes of yours on the lookout, make sure Rhoanna and Tasunke aren't planning anything to keep me from being a problem in the future."

"Do you really think they would?" Elric asked, even as he conjured the floating eye Damansk had requested.

"Better prepared and not need it." The old warlord replied as the group broke up slightly so that the remaining warriors could form ranks while the civilians packed up the needed supplies and moved to the center of the formation. "Now come on, we've got a long journey ahead of us and daylight's wasting."

Before long, the entire group had finished packing and storing the supplies they needed or wanted to take with them, leaving Damansk's camp behind without fanfare. However, just before they moved out of eyesight of the place that had been his home for decades, Damansk called for the caravan to halt for just a moment, stealing a glance back at the hill covered in tents and the simple palisade that encompassed it. But to his way of thinking, a leader has no time for excessive reflection and before anyone could comment on the delay, the caravan continued, Damansk's former camp vanishing behind other hills as they continued. Only then, when they were on the road, did Damansk allow himself to reflect on all that he had lost this day and how he might go about rebuilding it.

 **-One Year Later, Damansk Ancestral Fortress, Deruptus Mountains-**

The journey to the mountain stronghold of Damansk's family had gone surprisingly well, with no surprises beyond a raid by another band of Hippus who had supposedly mistaken them for a merchant caravan. Damansk had, of course, been skeptical but had decided to let the incident pass without any further comment or combat from either side. Then finally, they had reached the mountains north of Hippus lands, following Damansk's lead into a wide glacial valley until – at the far end – they beheld their destination.

The fortress had been built at the terminus of a much smaller glacier that had clearly existed even in the days of Patria and had been one of several that fed into the larger glacier that carved the main valley during the Age of Ice. Unlike the larger glacier and some of the other feeder glaciers however, this one still remained, butting up against the walls that had been built across the outlet of the higher valley. Said walls consisted of the hexagonal wall enclosing the fortress complex set in the middle of the wall running straight across the glacier's end, with the melt water running down from several tunnels into waterfalls that spilled into a glacial lake in the larger valley's floor. Inside the hexagonal wall, the citadel was more like a city, with houses built of stone crowded together around a complex of interconnected towers that seemed far too ornate to have been crafted by the early Hippus.

In fact, as Damansk was quick to explain, the fortress had not been built by his family so much as found at some point in the early days of the Age of Rebirth. Rather than simply raid it for any ancient Patrian artifacts, his family and the rest of the refugee band they were part of had moved in and begun repairing the ruins. As time went on however, the isolation had proven to be too great and most of the people had left, travelling down into the plains and assimilating into the various Hippus tribes. Eventually, when there were too few inhabitants to maintain it, the few remaining families in the old stronghold had left and formed the core of what would later be the tribe led by Damansk himself. Even so, the ancient fortress had always been considered a safe haven for the families, a place to retreat to should it ever be necessary. Granted, to Damansk's knowledge only one of those families was still around, the rest having died out due to infighting among the Hippus, marrying into other families or killed during raids on other nations, but the point was that the fortress was supposed to have been a haven for any of them should they need it. The fact that no one had used it in over a century was hardly a good commentary on how effective it was and more a statement on the brevity of mortal memory or lack of a sense of self-preservation.

As expected, the castle had fallen into ruin once more and was infested with numerous creatures that needed to be driven out in order to make the citadel habitable once more, but it was nothing the men and women under Damansk's command could not handle. From there, the refugees who had less aptitude at combat had taken over, repairing or replacing the masonry of the fortress and cleaning out the detritus of a century of neglect. Even now the process was still ongoing, but they had managed to make a number of the houses and some of the smaller towers livable, enough to house those who still followed Damansk at least. With fresh water having proven to be in abundant supply thanks to glacial run-off, food had been their major concern, but the large valley below had proven to be quite fertile and the growing season sufficient to produce enough crops to last the winter as long as they were careful. So it was, with more immediate issues taken care of, that Damansk called together his remaining lieutenants to discuss the matter of where they went from here and how best to get there.

"I refuse to have my legacy erased by those two upstarts." Damansk announced; the statement clearly his way of calling the meeting to order. "They may have usurped my tribe and replaced me, but I swore to my father that I would leave behind some form of mark on this world. That has been the oath that each Damansk upholds and regardless of what has happened to me, I refuse to let that die with me."

"In this way, I suppose it is somewhat fortunate that you were robbed of your place among the Hippus, now you can reform your legacy how you wish it to be, rather than following the expectations handed down from your ancestors." Xerxes pointed out, earning slight nods from the Captain and Elric while Eithos and Keyes both sighed at the lack of tact the supposed 'proper aristocrat' had exhibited. Then again, had he really been a proper aristocrat, he never would have made it as Damansk's seneschal.

"In a way…" the warlord agreed before his eyes glazed over in thought. "The problem before was that my tribe was tied to the Hippus and thus victim to the same changes that came to the rest of the Hippus tribes. So my solution is this: go out and find skilled people from every nation you can, but look for them to be different than their peers, outcasts of a sort. When you find them, train them and bring them here so I may test their mettle… and should they prove they have what it takes, they will be free to go out into the world and make names for themselves. This way, they will be beholden to no nation and they will make their own legacy. In time, should they be good enough to make a name for themselves and survive, they will gather others to them, either seeking to be taught by them or to be led by them. This will be my legacy, whether it is a true mercenary band or simply lineages of students and masters woven into the weave of time, it will all start here."

"An ambitious plan." The Captain commented, the others nodding their agreement. "And a potentially risky one: should Rhoanna and Tasunke find out what you are doing, they may take exception to your actions. To say nothing of what some of the more law-abiding nations might do if they discover you're basically trying to flood the market with troublesome and officially ambiguous mercenary bands."

"All things worth doing are both ambitious and risky." Damansk answered his Captain's unspoken question. "But this will be the path I will take; will all of you help, as you have so often in the past?"

"What shall we do?" The Captain asked.

"Go out and find students that you can teach, train them as best you can. Then, when the time comes, I shall call all of you here and we shall test them, both individually and as teams to see who is capable of achieving anything worthwhile in this world."

"Then we shall go without delay and find students to train." Eithos announced, looking thoughtful for a moment before speaking again. "Though I suppose we should thank you as well, for in this way you have not only set out to create a lasting legacy for yourself but to ensure we all leave one as well."

"Bah, don't make anything of it."

"Well, as generous or not as your plan is, someone's staying here to make sure you live long enough to pull off this scheme of yours." Keyes interjected suddenly. "And I'm sure your Captain isn't going anywhere unless it's to pull your rear out of the fire."

"Well, I'd only hoped this would get you all off my back…" Damansk griped quietly, looking particularly sullen as he did so. "But that was too much to hope for, eh?"

"Yes." The healer replied with more than a hint of smugness in her tone. "But I'm sure that Xerxes, Eithos and Elric will be more than good enough to find the kind of people you're looking for. And I'll undoubtedly be stuck with looking after and caring for them while they're here, won't I? Anything to distract me from looking after you, am I right?"

"I wasn't going to say anything, but… Bah, enough of this foolery, you've all got work to do, don't let my old bones stop you!" Damansk finally ordered, waving them all out of his impromptu throne room. "And don't come back until you've found some good recruits!"

 _ **Author's Notes:**_

Word Count: 4485

Date Posted: 6/28/2015

Last Edited: 6/28/2015

Well, here it is, the prologue of my attempt at a story based in the Fall from Heaven II setting; hopefully it is not too bad for a beginning, so any feedback is appreciated in order to help the story improve. I am not sure I am so good at writing darker stories… unless the canon setting is brighter and more optimistic then I seem to take special joy in adding in darker elements (see Darkening Skies or Beware the Quiet Ones if you would like examples). The reverse also seems to be true with making darker settings just a little bit brighter. Oh well, next chapter starts introducing the main characters, though if you liked Damansk and his crew, worry not, we have not seen the last of them… and if you do not like them, well, they are not the main characters so they rarely are going to be center stage anyways. I should also warn you that while the canon characters may show up in some fashion or at least will be mentioned throughout the course of the story, the main and supporting characters are going to be original characters for the most part. There is one exception, but I will leave that as a surprise for now.

I should also probably mention that while I will do my best to remain faithful to established information and timelines from the scenarios and lore, I am A) not perfect, B) had to make some compromises to compensate for any vagueness in established canon, C) had to make conjectures regarding how certain details of the lore work and D) added some details or modifications to make the story more interesting that hopefully do not contradict canon. Since I am not a member of the development team, I have no clue how accurate my own thoughts on these matters are. Please read with that in mind and if you would, please point out if I happen to directly contradict established canon anywhere so I can fix it to the best of my ability (without completely dismantling the story I hope).

Alright, that said, the author's notes for these first few chapters will also contain a bit of information on the characters introduced in each, as well as some commentary on them in relation to how/ where they would fit in the game. For this chapter, I present to you: Warlord Damansk.

Warlord Damansk

Hippus warlord and leader of one of the few bands that consistently challenged the dominance of Tasunke and the Aroul-Hippi, Damansk has mostly survived Tasunke's retaliations through a combination of clever (if temporary) alliances and unpredictability. Though many would consider his behavior reckless, Damansk usually knows what he is doing, having not only fought against Tasunke's father and grandfather but also having fought against Tasunke since the other was still little more than a boy. He is careful to never push Tasunke far enough to warrant a full-scale retaliation, but just enough to keep the leader of the Aroul on his toes. That said, he does not like Tasunke, having gone on record saying he much preferred fighting his father and his calling Tasunke a 'colt' is actually intended to be disrespectful rather than meant as any sort of good-natured taunt. In the case of Rhoanna, Damansk has no strong feelings aside from the belief that what she is doing is not the right path for the Hippus to take.

In his younger years, Damansk made a name for himself as a mercenary outside of Hippus lands and thus tends to be more aware of the affairs of the world at large than his fellow warlords. In fact, he would have preferred not to return to Hippus lands at all, except his father was dying and the tribe needed someone to hold them together in the wake of the catastrophic battle that inevitably led to his father's death. Despite this initial reluctance, Damansk views those under his command as a family of sorts and would protect them, even at the cost of his own life; just do not expect him to ever openly admit it. That said, while he certainly does care for his people, Damansk does have a manipulative streak, as almost any general has and it is something he works to control so he does not end up sacrificing someone he cares about.

In terms of fitting within the game, Damansk would be somewhat aligned with the half of the Hippus that follow Tasunke as while he does not respect or like Tasunke, he does respect the memory of his father and does not want the Aroul-Hippi as a whole to come to harm. After Tasunke joined Rhoanna's coalition, the men under Damansk's command called on him to consider joining the united Hippus and follow the lead of so many other Hippus tribes. As can be seen, Damansk does not like the idea for several reasons. It is important to note that despite his age; Damansk's band has never been overly powerful individually, mostly joining with other tribes in order to pull off major raids. Combined with a lack of information on what regions his band operated out of, this meant that Damansk's sway was widespread but not particularly influential. As such, he was never considered a priority for Rhoanna to bring around to her way of thinking.

Well, that is all for now, up next are some introductory chapters for the actual main characters. I should warn you that these next chapters are going to contain a lot of character building and while I will try my best to keep them interesting, there is going to be quite a bit of introspection on the part of the characters. Mostly it is so I establish how they think now so I do not have to keep emphasizing and explaining it later, just occasionally go into detail as needed. Hopefully I will do a good job, but feedback is always appreciated. Oh, and one last note, the author's notes are not always going to be this long, especially after the Recruitment and Formation chapters. Also, the word count will be a constant thing and excludes such things as titles, disclaimers and author's notes from the count. The date posted and lasted edited stats are there for convenience, in case anyone misses an update or wants to re-read a chapter to check and see if something changed with regards to content.


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